Here's a dare for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. On the surface, it could look like standard physical horror, but inside Together exists a deep examination about how we choose to love each other.
A Debut Feature Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have been together for ten years. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a special spark to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The plot commences when the couple relocate from the big city to the countryside for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the cliches cease. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their new home, a storm hits, and the two tumble into an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity begins influencing the couple. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a slow burn of scares, interspersing moments of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes amidst something grotesque). The director orchestrates these parts seamlessly and presents them in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and distant from his support system. He is terrified of the concept of completely losing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision is that he avoids making either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie confront the kind of problems that arise in any relationship after ten years. Deep down, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these anxieties of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a strong argument for staying single. Conversely, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could act as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your significant other and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can experience right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu as of this moment.
